Chen Huangzi was killed too? The crowd could hardly believe the shocking news. Chen Huangzi was a Seventh Step Great Path cultivator, and he’d only just arrived in Anluo Heavenly City. To be killed so soon?
Though Anluo Heavenly City was currently teeming with Seventh Step Great Path cultivators, these powerhouses were gathered from across the vast universe. If they dispersed, their numbers would thin out significantly. For instance, a world like Moru had no Seventh Step cultivators at all. There were several such worlds in the great universe.
No wonder True Derivation Sacred Path’s Guan Chong and Chong Ying couldn’t control their emotions. Who could, in their place? True Derivation had only four Saint Lords, and in such a short time, two had been killed. If this continued, would Guan Chong and Chong Ying be next? If all four Saint Lords fell, True Derivation Sacred Path would likely cease to exist.
But Ku Yichi was stunned too. Chen Huangzi was dead? A quiet sense of relief washed over him. Truth be told, True Derivation Sacred Path was a colossus in the Central World, boasting four Seventh Step cultivators—a force that even the Central Heavenly Court struggled to restrain. Without the Dao Ancestor above them, True Derivation could have destroyed the Central Heavenly Court and established its own.
Now, with two of their Seventh Step cultivators gone, True Derivation’s power had noticeably weakened, easing Ku Yichi’s mind. He sneered inwardly, though. With only two Seventh Step cultivators left, they still acted as arrogantly as before, daring to approach the Dao Ancestor Drum. Truly reckless.
“I understand Saint Lords Guan and Chong’s feelings, but understanding doesn’t mean True Derivation can disregard the Central Heavenly Court’s supreme rules. To put it another way, if I hadn’t come to stop you, and you’d actually struck the Dao Ancestor Drum, have you considered the consequences?” Ku Yichi’s tone was calm.
Though True Derivation had lost another Seventh Step Saint Lord, Ku Yichi’s words were less courteous than before. Beyond their attempt to strike the Dao Ancestor Drum infuriating him, Chen Huangzi’s fall had further diminished True Derivation’s strength.
Chong Ying had initially intended to strike the drum, but by the time he left Jinluo Tower, he’d calmed down. He knew that if he summoned the Dao Ancestor, the Ancestor might kill him and Guan Chong first. Seventh Step cultivators were near-invincible in most eyes, but not in the Dao Ancestor’s. To the Ancestor, they were no different from ordinary cultivators.
Knowing the stakes, Chong Ying hadn’t forced the issue, or else even Ku Yichi’s speed couldn’t have stopped him from striking the drum.
From Ku Yichi’s tone, Chong Ying also realised True Derivation’s status was no longer what it once was.
At that moment, Chong Ying felt a surge of anger toward Chen Huangzi for leaving Anluo Heavenly City on his own. Chong Jiu’s death had been a warning, yet Chen Huangzi, relying on his Seventh Step status and accustomed to being untouchable, never considered that someone might dare—or be able—to kill him. But this was Anluo Heavenly City, where the Eternal Life Conference was about to be held, teeming with powerhouses. A Seventh Step cultivator’s death wasn’t so surprising here.
Seeing Chong Ying back off, Ku Yichi knew to ease up. Softening his tone, he said, “Saint Lords Chong and Guan, with Saint Lord Chen’s death, our first step is to investigate the scene. Given how close it is to Anluo Heavenly City, I’m confident we can catch the culprit. Do you have any suspects? We can look into them.”
Both Chong Ying and Guan Chong suspected one person: Lan Xiaobu. They believed Chen Huangzi had placed a divine sense mark on Lan Xiaobu, followed him out of Anluo Heavenly City, and met his demise. But they had no evidence. Besides, Lan Xiaobu’s cultivation level made it implausible for him to even ambush Chen Huangzi.
If Lan Xiaobu was truly responsible, they dared not confront him, as the real killer would likely be Shi Changxing. Even with all four Saint Lords, True Derivation couldn’t challenge Shi Changxing, let alone now with only two.
“We do have a suspect, but we need to examine the scene and meet this person to confirm,” Chong Ying said, now composed.
Even if Shi Changxing was the killer, with sufficient evidence and under the scrutiny of numerous cultivators and Heavenly Emperors, he couldn’t shield Lan Xiaobu. At the very least, they could make Lan Xiaobu pay.
Without an Eighth Step Great Path cultivator, True Derivation’s usual dominance now seemed utterly hollow.
“Since I’ve got nothing better to do, I’ll come along,” Pei Qionghu said from the side.
A Seventh Step cultivator had been ambushed, and he wanted to know how. If someone could ambush Chen Huangzi, they could target him too.
“Lord Feng, you come with me,” Ku Yichi said to a lean official nearby.
Though only a Fifth Step cultivator, anyone familiar with Anluo Heavenly City knew Feng Jietian, the Central Heavenly Court’s Saint Overseer Lord. His meticulous mind was invaluable to Ku Yichi.
As the group left Anluo Heavenly City, Shi Changxing, watching from afar, gaped at Lan Xiaobu leisurely entering Jinluo Tower, scarcely believing his eyes.
He knew Chen Huangzi had placed a mark on Lan Xiaobu, that Lan Xiaobu had left the city, and that Chen Huangzi had followed to kill him.
By all accounts, Chen Huangzi should have returned. Yet Chen Huangzi was dead, and Lan Xiaobu was back. Something was off.
Lan Xiaobu was just a Fifth Step cultivator. How could he kill a prepared Chen Huangzi? True Derivation would surely assume Shi Changxing was behind it, but he knew it wasn’t him.
Recalling Lan Xiaobu’s feats—taking the Chaos Unicorn from the Great Ice Palace while saving his daughter, destroying the Sacred Sword Palace, kidnapping a Saint Lord’s granddaughter from True Derivation, breaking into a Saint Lord’s cave in Jinluo Tower, and severely injuring a Saint Lord…
Aside from injuring Chong Jiu, which Shi Changxing had orchestrated, every other feat seemed impossible, yet Lan Xiaobu had succeeded. Now, with Chen Huangzi’s death, Shi Changxing exhaled deeply, suspecting Lan Xiaobu might have killed Chong Jiu too.
Whether or not Lan Xiaobu killed Chong Jiu, one thing was clear: Shi Changxing had misjudged him. He’d thought Lan Xiaobu was a reckless troublemaker, doomed to be killed. Yet the more trouble Lan Xiaobu stirred, the better he thrived. If Lan Xiaobu reached the Sixth or even Seventh Step, even Shi Changxing might be powerless against him.
Sighing, Shi Changxing decided to rethink his view of Lan Xiaobu. Killing Chen Huangzi would surely enrage Guan Chong and Chong Ying. If Lan Xiaobu could navigate this crisis on his own, Shi Changxing would have his daughter befriend him, at the very least.
…
As Lan Xiaobu entered Jinluo Tower, he saw a man and a woman walking side by side. The man was handsome, exuding dao rhythms, at least a Fifth Step cultivator. The woman was someone he knew: Liu Li, whom he’d been eager to find. But Liu Li was representing the Burial Dao Sect in Anluo Heavenly City, which unsettled him. Plus, after arriving, she’d gone straight to Tianhuan Cloud Hall, making her impossible to reach.
Lan Xiaobu planned to ask Liu Li how she’d come to the great universe once she emerged.
He hadn’t expected to see her right after killing True Derivation’s Seventh Step cultivator. The man beside her was clearly a Burial Dao cultivator, his dao rules unmistakable.
What made Lan Xiaobu frown was the faint Burial Dao aura on Liu Li. She had clearly started cultivating Burial Dao.
Liu Li practiced the Second Great Path, a technique Lan Xiaobu had acquired in the Great Desolation Universe. It was undeniably a top-tier path, even in the great universe. With strong talent and slight modifications, its potential far surpassed Burial Dao.
Taking a deep breath, Lan Xiaobu decided to intercept Liu Li. He needed to ask her face-to-face why she’d joined the Burial Dao Sect. Their path was far too unsavoury.
